Hotel off U.S. 280 suffers heavy damage after water pipe bursts in attic; cold might not be to blame

HOOVER, Alabama -- A pipe burst that
caused serious damage to a Birmingham-area hotel Tuesday might not have been
caused by freezing temperatures, according to the Hoover Fire Department.

Hoover fire
crews were called to the Candlewood Suites on Corporate Ridge -- right off U.S.
Highway 280 in the Inverness area -- to a report of a possible burst water
pipe around 3:30 p.m., Hoover Fire Executive Officer Rusty Lowe said.

Crews found
a burst pipe in the attic of the hotel that was flooding all three floors, he
said. About 120 people who were staying in the hotel were able to relocate --
with their pets -- to the Wingate hotel next door.

Lowe said
the burst caused significant damage to the hotel, especially to the electrical
system. Alabama Power crews are on the scene and the building's electricity has
been shut off.

"They're
going to be out of commission for a while," he said.

City
building officials are trying to make sure the building is safe for the evening
until a full assessment of damage is done and repairs can be made, he said.

Lowe said
plumbing officials who examined the pipe said it was possibly corrosion, not
freezing, that caused the pipe to burst.

"It looks
like this isn't going to be related to the weather right now," he said. "It
very well may be corrosion in the pipes that caused it to rupture.

"It's just
one of those freak things that happened," he said.

While this
pipe burst might not have been caused by the cold, the freezing temperatures have
wreaked
havoc on water pipes across Alabama the past couple of days. Plumbers
recommend keeping faucets at a drip and making sure cabinets under sinks are open
so warm air can circulate around the pipes.